


By Your Side

by TearsAndFlowers



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-31 10:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12130569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearsAndFlowers/pseuds/TearsAndFlowers
Summary: When Shadow wakes up in a stranger's home with a concussion, and no recollection of the events prior, he reluctantly lets her take care of him. But he soon finds that what happened to him may have a connection with his past--a past that, as much as he refuses to admit it, he can't face alone.(On hiatus.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to write this one since 2016! I was originally going to plan the whole thing out and not post it until it was fully written, but that hasn't been working out for me, so I'm going to try doing this one chapter at a time. Wish me luck!
> 
> I'm also admittedly still figuring out my characterization of my version of Boom!Rouge, so feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Oh, and, "anthrope" is a term someone in the fandom made up a long time ago to refer to characters like Sonic and friends.

Shadow groaned as he woke up. His head was pounding like a hammer.

_What...happened...?_

His memory was a haze of pain and darkness. The last clear memory he had before that was of walking back home...

He groaned again as his eyes slowly fluttered open, nearly blinded by the sudden presence of light. His body felt stiff and sore--and did he mention the splitting headache? He tried sitting up--which he quickly regretted when his head started to spin. Once he could properly see again, he began to take notice of his surroundings.

He was lying in bed, in a room that he didn't recognize. It looked as if it had been hastily cleaned up, with various things shoved into a barely-able-to-stay-closed closet. Obviously, the owner of this place had not been expecting a guest.

Speaking of which...where was he anyway?

"Oh good, you're awake!" a voice said, jolting him from his thoughts.

The voice belonged to a white anthrope bat, who he hadn't noticed was standing over him. Her showed a mix of relief and concern.

"Where...where am I?" Shadow asked. "And who are you?"

"You're in my house," the stranger replied. "I'm taking care of you while you recover. Oh, name's Rouge, by the way! What's yours?"

"Sh-Shadow..." Shadow was even more confused now. "What...what's going on? What happened to me?"

"You were badly injured," Rouge explained, sitting down beside him. "Luckily, I happened to spot you and get you to the hospital just in time! The doctor said you'll live, but you've got a pretty bad concussion."

 _I suppose that explains the headache,_  Shadow thought. But one thing still bothered him...

"How...how did I get hurt...?"

Rouge shrugged, frowning apologetically. "I have no idea. I didn't see what happened, I just found you lying out in the middle of the road."

Shadow had so many other questions he wanted to ask. But before he could say anything else, he suddenly felt exhausted, as if he'd just run a marathon.

Rouge seemed to notice. "Tired? Yeah, concussions can do that to you. Get some sleep, you've got a lot of healing to do. If you need anything, I'll be close by, okay?"

Normally, Shadow would've protested, insisting that he "doesn't need anyone's help". But he was too drowsy at the moment to care, and before he knew it he'd already conked out...

* * *

_Chaos. That was the only word that could describe what was happening around Shadow._

_There was panic all around as humans and anthropes alike fled the scene. Gunshots rang out, and the bodies piled up in almost no time at all._

_Shadow himself was currently trying to escape the massacre, holding someone else's hand. He had no idea who the other person was, they looked like nothing more than a blur to him. All he knew was that he had to protect them._

_They almost made it out, when suddenly, they were cornered by soldiers with their guns drawn. A loud gunshot sounded, making Shadow's ears ring..._

* * *

"Shadow!"

Shadow's eyes shot open. He grimaced as his sore body brought him back to reality. He was breathing heavily, covered in sweat.

"Are you okay?" Rouge asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Shadow snapped.

Rouge put her hands up. "Alright alright, just making sure. You looked like you were having a bad dream."

"I'm fine," Shadow repeated, grumbling as he rolled over to face away from Rouge. "It was just a dream, alright?"

Deep down, however, Shadow knew that it wasn't any normal nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who updates a fanfic at 5 in the morning?  
> Me: OH BOY 5 AM
> 
> ...but seriously, once I finally got the inspiration I needed, I just couldn't wait. I'm tired at the moment, so if there's something stupid in the writing that I didn't notice, I apologize.
> 
> (Sorry the chapters are so short so far. I can only come up with so much material for each one. :P)

Shadow had a fitful sleep that night. The nightmares just wouldn't go away.

When he finally woke up, the sun was peeking through the curtains on the window. On the nightstand next to him was a glass of water.

He sat up slowly, so as not to make himself dizzy, and greedily gulped down the water. He hadn't even realized how thirsty he was.

A few minutes later, there was a light knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" came Rouge's voice.

Shadow mumbled to himself. Rouge took that as an answer, and quietly opened the door.

"How'd you sleep last night?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

Shadow didn't respond; he didn't even turn to face her.

"Not good, huh?" Rouge said sympathetically. "I heard you talking in your sleep last night; it sounded like you were having another nightmare."

Again, Shadow didn't respond.

Rouge sighed. "Alright, I'll leave you alone."

She stood up. "But remember, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

Then, without waiting for another answer, she left the room.

* * *

Four figures stood outside of a door. The air was tense as they each waited for someone to make a move.

"So...who's going to tell him?" one of them, a female, asked.

"Not me!" another one, a male, replied.

"One of us has to tell him, Ed."

"Well it's not gonna be me either!" a third, another female, said.

The fourth person in the room rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine; we'll draw straws."

And so they did. The one with the shortest straw was Ed, the second speaker.

"D-do we have to tell him?" Ed asked. "I-I mean--"

"Yes!" the others all snapped at once.

He gulped nervously. "A-alright, here goes nothin'..."

With a shaky hand, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a deep male voice said.

Ed took a deep breath as he opened the door, closing it behind him. Before him, a figure stood in the shadows, back turned to him.

"What is it, Edmond?" the figure asked, annoyed.

"W-well, Sir, I have good news and bad news..."

"Proceed."

Ed began to sweat nervously. "Well, the bad news is...the target is kinda still alive...ish?"

The other man said nothing for a moment. Then suddenly, he let out an angry yell, slamming a fist into the ground.

“You fool!” he growled. “You didn’t even stop to check if he was dead before you left him there, _did you_?”

“S-Sir, no one should’ve been able to survive those injuries,” Ed pointed out. “How were we supposed to know?”

“He is not an easy one to kill,” his boss replied. “He’s different from the rest of us; he can survive things that would instantly kill anyone else. You would already be aware of that, if you'd actually bothered to pay attention to what I told you.”

“W-well, Sir, I do have good news too,” Ed remembered. “We've been tracking his location, and we think we've found where he's hiding.”

“Good. Even with his healing abilities, he should still be recovering from the last attack. Now is the best time to strike.

“This is your last chance, Edmond--don't disappoint me this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Some of my ideas for this story recently changed, so I modified the ending of this chapter.
> 
> (Ed and his teammates are my OCs. I'm not currently planning on giving any of them a major role, but like my other ideas for this story, that could always change.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long; I got stuck on this chapter for a while (and it even went through multiple incarnations before this version was finally finished).
> 
> In case any older readers of this fic didn't see, the ending of chapter 2 was recently edited. My ideas for this story have been changing a lot lately...
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy the new chapter! And let me know if there are any mistakes; I proofread it several times, but I may still have missed something.

Rouge sighed. She wished she could help her guest more, but it was clear that he needed his space. It also worried her a little that he couldn't remember how he'd gotten injured, but she brushed it off; it was probably just an accident or something. But considering the extent of his injuries when she’d first found him, it would’ve had to have been _some_ accident…

Rouge had been astonished at how quickly Shadow had healed. His numerous broken bones, shattered ribs, various burns, and gosh knows what else, had been good as new only a week later; she’d never seen anything like it.

Again, she brushed it off. She'd arrived at her destination, and it was time to focus on the task at hand. She had come to this particular village, because there was a store here that carried the pain medicine she was looking for.

Luckily, it didn’t take long for her to find it. Just as she was done checking out, however, she heard a loud crash outside. She rushed outside, just in time to see a round, metal object go hurtling through the air, followed by a voice shouting, "See you later, Eggface!"

The voice belonged to a blue hedgehog. Ah, yes, she'd seen him before; he was the local hero of this particular village, from what she knew. She'd almost mistaken Shadow for him at first glance (which seemed silly now, though it _had_ been very late at night when she first saw Shadow).

_I wonder..._

Going with her gut, she approached the hedgehog just as he was about to leave.

"Excuse me--Sonic, is it?"

"The one and only!" Sonic replied.

"This might be a strange question, but...do you by any chance know someone named Shadow?"

Sonic raised a brow. "What about him...?"

* * *

Shadow growled in frustration. He felt tired, and yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fall back asleep. His head was still pounding, too.

There was a knock at the door. Shadow sighed. “What do you want now?”

The door opened, and Rouge poked her head in. “Hey, I’m just here with some pain medicine. Oh, and someone wants to see you.”

The door then opened all the way, revealing the last person that Shadow wanted to see.

“Why did you bring _him_ here?!” Shadow asked angrily.

“Sonic here says he knows you,” Rouge explained.

Shadow quickly stood up, ready to fight--or he would have been, if doing so hadn’t caused his head to start spinning.

“What the heck happened to you?” Sonic asked.

“...I don’t know,” Shadow admitted, once he’d recovered. “But it doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here.”

Sonic chose to ignore that last part. “Look, I’ve fought you enough times to know that you don’t get hurt easily. Whatever happened probably wasn't an accident.”

“What are you implying?” Shadow asked, sitting back down on the bed.

“I think someone wants you dead, Shadow.”

Shadow was silent for a minute. To tell the truth, he’d suspected this himself. But who could it have been?

 _Certainly not Sonic,_ he thought. _He’s too weak to harm me. And besides, he’d never attack me unprovoked._

_It couldn’t be Eggman either; a nitwit like him could never subdue me. Besides, he’s always too busy being a “fanboy” to want to attack me anyway. So then...who is it?_

“That’s just ridiculous,” Shadow finally replied. “I don’t know of anyone that would want me dead. And besides, even if someone did, they would never be able to defeat me. Now get out of my sight!”

“Fine,” Sonic sighed, putting his hands up. “I’ll leave you alone.”

As Rouge shut the door, she looked at Sonic apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t know--”

“--that he hates me?” Sonic finished. “Eh, it’s fine; I didn’t warn you about that.”

Rouge wondered what was going on between them, but figured it was none of her business.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door.

“Strange. I wasn’t expecting anyone today…” Rouge said quietly.

She opened the door to reveal an anthrope mink standing outside.

“Hello,” the mink greeted cheerfully. “I’m Margaux, your new neighbor!”

Rouge raised a brow. “Really? I didn’t know anyone was moving in…”

Sensing her suspicion, Sonic rushed to the back door. Rouge kept the stranger busy.

“Well, uh, it’s nice to meet you, Margaux.”

Just as Margaux was about to respond, however, a gunshot sounded from the other side of the house.

Both girls rushed towards the source of the noise, to find Sonic surrounded by three other people: a wolverine, a bear, and a vulture. The wolverine had been knocked to the ground, a gun lying on the ground next to him. The vulture was standing in front of him defensively, a red laser sword in her grip. The bear stood behind Sonic, clenching his fists.

Rouge whipped around, to see that Margaux was suddenly holding a baseball bat. Pushing the question of where it came from to the back of her mind, she dodged a swing from the mink, then punched her in the face. Margaux recovered quickly, and swung again, but Rouge was faster. Her wings unfolded, and she flew into the air, just out of Margaux’s reach.

Sonic, meanwhile, was easily dodging the attacks of both his opponents. They were skilled, but were still no match for his incredible speed.

“What, too fast for you?” he taunted.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and Sonic just barely avoided the speeding bullet. The wolverine had been waiting until his opponent was distracted before trying to fire again. He fired again, only for Sonic to simply step out of the way.

“Hold still!” the wolverine growled.

He fired again, and again, and again, but missed Sonic every single time. Sonic just grinned at him smugly.

“Dodger, stop; you’re going to run out of bullets,” the vulture warned.

“D-dang, this guy is just as fast as that other guy,” the wolverine (Dodger) mumbled.

“You mean Shadow, don’t you?” Sonic realized.

“That’s none of your business, kid,” the vulture stated, pointing her laser sword at him threateningly.

“Hey!” they all heard Rouge shout.

Margaux had lassoed Rouge’s leg (the mink’s baseball bat forgotten on the ground); Rouge kicked at her and flapped her wings, trying to get free, but to no avail.

The vulture charged at Sonic, who smiled as an idea came to him. He ran, fast enough that she couldn’t catch him, but not so fast that she wasn’t still on his heels. He jumped over the rope that was binding Rouge’s leg, and the vulture took that moment to swing at him--only to cut the rope instead.

Rouge, now free, swooped down and kicked both girls in the face. Before either of them could recover, Sonic had grabbed one remaining piece of the rope. He ran circles around the vulture and mink, until they both found themselves tied up.

Sonic turned around just in time to see Dodger’s gun pointed at his face. He could hear the bear running up to him from behind, and sped out of the way just as he was about to be punched. The blow was delivered to Dodger instead, and he flew back from the impact, dropping his gun in the process.

Rouge ran in front of the bear, who swung at her, only for her to fly into the air. Something fast and blue slammed into him, knocking him onto his back. Before he had a chance to recover, he and Dodger found themselves tied up as well.

“What’s going on?” Shadow’s voice startled everyone.

“Shadow, what are you doing out of bed?” Rouge scolded gently.

Shadow ignored her (along with the pain that raged throughout his entire body) and went up to the defeated thugs, glaring a hole through them.

“W-we can explain!” the bear said nervously.

“Relax, Edmond,” Dodger said to him. “Let Aya handle it,” he added, nodding towards the vulture.

“Look, my squad and I have nothing against you personally,” Aya explained. “We don’t even know who the heck any of you are. We’re just doing what we were hired to do.”

“Who hired you?” Shadow inquired.

“Dunno,” Margaux replied. “We’ve never seen his face or gotten his name. We just saw the money he offered us. And it was a _lot_ of money, too; I dunno what you did to make him so angry, but he _really_ wants you dead!”

“H-hey,” Edmond spoke up, “if it makes you feel any better, you still beat us up pretty good when we attacked you.” He nodded towards the various bandages on his arm.

“And I would have done much more had I been given the chance,” Shadow growled. “Now get out of my sight, and I _might_ let you live.”

And with that, he walked away--just as another wave of dizziness took hold of him, and he stumbled, falling to the ground. He could hear the thugs laughing quietly as his face turned red from humiliation.

He felt someone help him up, and looked to see Rouge smiling at him sympathetically.

“I don’t need your help,” he mumbled.

Before Rouge could argue with him, he went inside, keeping his balance to the best of his ability.

* * *

“The cops came and picked them up,” Sonic said.

“Good,” Rouge sighed in relief. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

Sonic waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine; don’t worry about it. I’m sure you can handle things from here--but if anything else _does_ happen, let me know, and my team and I will be there in a dash!”

He didn’t say it, but it wasn’t actually Rouge that he was worried about...

“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind,” Rouge replied. She hesitated for a moment. “If you don’t mind my asking...are you and Shadow brothers or something?”

“Huh? No.” Sonic shook his head. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that one,” he added with a chuckle. “No, we’re just...enemies, I guess.”

“But you don’t seem to hate him, like he hates you?”

Sonic shrugged. “Not really.”

Rouge nodded, deciding not to press the issue further. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Sonic.” She reached out for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you too, uh…?”

“Rouge.”

“Nice to meet you too, Rouge.” Sonic shook her hand.

And with that, he sped off into the distance.

* * *

Shadow sighed, laying back down onto his borrowed bed. He had (reluctantly) taken the pain medicine that Rouge brought him, and it was already starting to help. He would never admit it, but he was grateful; he could think much more clearly now that his headache wasn’t killing him.

 _I could have handled those thugs myself,_ he thought, though a tiny part of him was uncertain about that. They had almost killed him, after all. And yet, Sonic and Rouge had defeated them with ease--but _how?_

 _Sonic would probably say it had something to do with teamwork,_ Shadow thought with a roll of his eyes.

Whatever the reason, he was unable to let it go. He was supposed to be the Ultimate Lifeform--and yet, in the time since he had been attacked, he had shown nothing but weakness.

_I cannot allow anyone to make a fool of me! Whoever is trying to kill me will pay dearly. I’ll show him who’s_ really _weak!_

As he thought this, he sat up in determination--only to immediately regret it. Once his head stopped spinning, he sighed in temporary defeat.

_...Once I recover, that is._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it wouldn't be a story about Shadow the Hedgehog without the use of guns. I think the only thing that's missing now is the gratuitous swearing!
> 
> Anyway: Aya, Edmond, Margaux, and Dodger are all my OCs. (I've been filling out profiles for them recently, in an attempt to develop them more, which has been pretty fun to do. Maybe I'll post them someday; depends on whether anyone wants to see them or not.) I wanted to make them all animals that we don't see in Sonic a whole lot (if at all). I still don't know how much of a role they're going to play; this is meant to be about _Shadow_ , after all.
> 
> I'm not that experienced with writing fight scenes, so I hope I did alright on that part! I also tried to explain how they were able to defeat Shadow but not Sonic and Rouge, but I might have failed in that area. Oh well, I tried at least...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter! Sorry for the delay; I've been struggling a lot with this story.
> 
> I tweaked Chapter 3 a bit, but it was a pretty minor change. (I just changed some of Sonic's dialogue to make him slightly less OOC.)
> 
> Also, just a heads up: I might have to change the category to Gen fic instead of F/M fic. I've been doing some thinking, and I realized that--without spoiling anything--if Shadow and Rouge got together in this fic, their relationship would be moving way too fast for my liking. I know, I promised Shadouge, and I do still intend for them to get together in this fic's timeline--but it might not end up happening in this particular fic. I apologize; this is what I get for not planning ahead.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for rambling. Onto the chapter!

Shadow tried to take a nap, but he just couldn’t sleep. He was still troubled. How did those thugs manage to overpower him? No matter how he tried to think of a logical explanation, it just wasn’t adding up.

That and, the nightmares were still keeping him awake.

There was a knock on the door. After a moment, Rouge came in, holding a plate of scrambled eggs. “Hey, Shadow, I’ve got something for you to eat. I know it’s not breakfast time, but eggs are full of protein, and you kind of need that right now. Besides, who says you can only have breakfast in the morning?”

Then she noticed Shadow’s tired state. "Having nightmares again?"

Shadow didn't respond.

"Do you have nightmares often?" Rouge asked, setting the plate of eggs down on the nightstand, before sitting down next to Shadow.

Shadow hesitated. "I only have them every once in a while," he lied.

"What are they about?" Rouge asked. "Sorry if that's a personal question; I just want to help."

Again, Shadow hesitated. He hated showing any sort of vulnerability to people. And yet...Rouge had already seen him at his weakest; what more of his dignity did he have to lose?

"...I'm not entirely sure," he finally answered. "I always have the same nightmare. I'm in a place that I don't recognize, and I'm trying to protect a person that I can't see from people who are chasing us. The dream always ends with the person getting shot.”

"Wow..." Rouge pondered this for a while. "...are you sure it's just a nightmare? I mean, I don’t know anything about you or your past, but it sounds like it could be a memory.”

“I’ve...considered that before,” Shadow admitted. “But I don’t think too much about it. I’m the Ultimate Lifeform, and the world is my enemy. That’s all I’ve ever known, and all that’s ever mattered.”

Even as the words left his lips, he knew they weren’t entirely true. Something had always been lingering at the back of his mind, a feeling that something wasn’t quite right, but he had always ignored it. He had spent so much time focused on living in the present, he had never given himself time to think about his past. And now that he had nothing but time, a startling realization hit him: he couldn’t remember anything. At least, anything from before he--

“Sorry,” Rouge interrupted his thoughts. “I shouldn’t be making you think too much right now; your brain is still healing.”  
“Here,” she added, handing him the plate of eggs. “Eat something. I’ll be in the next room if you need me.”

Once Shadow was alone, he began to eat. He had to admit, he was starving.

Even though Rouge had told him not to think too much, he did so anyway. He tried and tried to remember something, _anything_ from his past, but to no avail; every time he tried to open the door to his missing memories, he was met with nothing but a brick wall. By the time he finished eating, he’d already given up. He set the empty plate down on the nightstand, then lay back down, hoping that he’d be able to sleep this time.

* * *

_Roger wandered the streets, glad to finally have some peace and quiet. The young boy preferred not to interact with other people unless it was absolutely necessary, so he avoided the nearby village as much as possible. He looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed. He had been hoping for a sunny day--but nope, it looked like it would be another rainy one. This was the third day in a row, too._

_Then, he saw something in the sky. He squinted; it was too far away to tell what it was. Whatever it was, it was moving fast. Without warning, it crashed into the ground, causing the ground to rumble. Curious now, he rushed to the spot where the object had crashed, to get a better look._

_What he saw stunned him; he’d never seen anything like it before. The mysterious object was large and round, with a single window on the front. He used his hand to wipe some of the dust away from the window, and peeked through it. Inside was a young hedgehog, about Roger’s age; he was black with red streaks on his arms, legs, and quills, and around the edges of his eyes, with a patch of white fur on his chest. He was lying upside down, and appeared to be unconscious._

_Roger knocked on the window. “Hello?”_  
_When there wasn’t a response, he knocked even harder. “Hello?! You okay in there?”_

_The hedgehog began to stir, his eyes fluttering open to reveal crimson irises._  
_“Huh?” His voice was muffled. “Wh-what’s going on? Who are you?”_

_“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out!”_

_Once the stranger had been broken free, the two sat down on the ground._

_"Where am I?" the black hedgehog asked, rubbing his sore head._

_"Um…” Roger looked up at a nearby street sign. “...Knothole Street."_

_"No, I mean, what planet?"_

_"You're on Mobius, silly,” Roger laughed. “How hard did you hit your head?”_  
_Then he realized something. “What were you doing in that thing anyway?"_

_"I...I don't know,” the stranger admitted. “I don't remember anything..."_

_"Anything?"_

_"Well...I know my name is Shadow, and that I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. And…” He grimaced for a moment. “Th-that's it. Nothing more."_

_"Oh." Roger frowned, feeling bad for Shadow. He looked up at the sky, noticing that it was about to rain. “Well, Mr. Ultimate Lifeform, how about we find some shelter?”_

_He stood up and reached out a hand. “I’m Roger, by the way.”_

_Shadow took his hand, smiling as he got to his feet. “Pleased to meet you, Roger.”_

* * *

A lone, hooded figure walked through the streets, ignoring the stares he got from other people. He hated being out in public, but he had important business to attend to.

When he arrived at the local jail, he wasted no time in explaining who he was there to see.

“Visiting hours are almost over,” the officer told him.

“I’m not planning on staying very long.”

“Alright, but as soon as the clock strikes twelve, you’re out of here. Got it?”

“Of course.”

The officer led him to the visiting room. He didn’t have to wait long for the people he was looking for to enter the room.

“You have ten minutes,” the officer reminded them.

It was only when he left the room that anyone spoke. When they spoke, they kept their voices quiet, so no one would overhear them.

“What, come to get your money back?” Dodger grunted.

“No,” the hooded one replied. “I came to ask your leader a question.”

“What do you want?” Aya asked.

“I want to know how you managed to weaken Shadow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, this chapter jumps around like a Mexican jumping bean on a pogo stick...
> 
> I wasn't sure if I should start including the flashbacks this early in the story or not--but like with everything else in this story, I'm just taking the plunge and hoping the story doesn't fall apart on me.
> 
> I apologize if I got the jail scene completely wrong. I've never gone to jail, or visited anyone in one, so I only know what I've seen on TV.
> 
> Also, I'm sure most people reading this already know, but "Knothole" is a reference to SatAM and the Archie comics.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I keep getting stuck on this story (and it doesn't help that my ideas are constantly changing). Hope it ends up being worth the wait!
> 
> Also, just to clarify: in this chapter, the word "quadruped" is being used to refer to a regular animal (like how "anthrope" is being used to refer to people like Sonic and friends). Not really sure what word I'd use for a normal animal that doesn't have four legs (or any legs)...oh well, whatever.

Shadow was awoken the next morning by the sound of Rouge rummaging around in her closet.

“Wha...what are you…?” he asked drowsily.

Rouge was startled for a moment, not having realized her guest was awake. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. I’m just grabbing some clothes real quick.”

As Rouge continued to search through her closet, Shadow couldn’t help but notice how many items were stuffed inside of it.

“What is all of this?”

"I'm a treasure hunter,” Rouge explained. “It's one of the only jobs I'm able to get right now."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

"I...may or may not have a criminal record,” Rouge admitted with a sheepish smile.

“What?” Shadow was surprised. "Why is that?"

"Oh, I've stolen a few things here and there.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Okay, so more than a few things.”

Shadow raised a brow.

Rouge sighed. “Okay, so a lot of things. What can I say? I love shiny objects."

As she said this, a large number of shiny objects came tumbling out of her closet.

"I can see that,” Shadow deadpanned.

"That's the other reason why I took up treasure hunting,” Rouge continued. “I can have all the shiny objects I want! Plus, if the original owners have been dead for centuries, it’s considered archeology instead of grave robbing.”

“So, are you a villain?” Shadow asked. “Or an anti-hero?”

“I consider myself the latter,” Rouge replied. “I’m definitely _not_ one of the ‘good guys’. But I don’t see myself as outright evil, either; I have standards. Sure, I have no problem with stealing from people, but I don’t hurt or kill them unless it’s absolutely necessary. I also wouldn’t leave someone to die.”

“Hmph,” was Shadow’s only response.

“Ah, here we go.” Rouge pulled an outfit out of the closet. “I need to get dressed, so let’s get you moved to the couch.”

* * *

Shadow lay on the couch, while Rouge was in her room getting dressed. He wasn’t allowed to do much because of his concussion; and now that he was awake, he was bored out of his mind.

He heard a meow next to him. He turned his head and saw a quadruped cat standing in front of him; he hadn’t even heard it walk into the room. The cat was white, with light and dark brown patches.

“What do you want?” Shadow asked.

The cat just stared at him. Shadow stared back. The cat never seemed to blink (or perhaps it was blinking at the same time as Shadow). This went on for a few minutes, neither of them making a single sound or movement.

Suddenly, the cat crouched down, wiggling its bottom before jumping up onto the couch. As Shadow felt the heavy weight of the cat’s paws walking on top of his body, he was glad that it was only his head that was still sore. The cat purred as it sniffed Shadow’s face curiously. Once it had finished inspecting Shadow, the cat curled up on the hedgehog’s chest. Shadow wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to be left alone, but...the warmth radiating from the fuzzy creature felt kind of nice…

“Oh, I see you’ve met Topaz!” Rouge said as she walked into the room. She giggled. “She’s a little shy, but it seems she’s taken a liking to you.”

Rouge sat down on the couch, careful not to accidentally sit on Shadow’s feet. She noticed where the cat was sitting.

“Is that hurting you? I know you had broken ribs not too long ago.”

“No, I’m fine,” Shadow replied. “My body was 'engineered' to heal quickly. However, if multiple body parts are hurt, the healing process will focus all of its energy on one specific part at a time.”  
He winced, putting a hand to his head. “It just hasn’t finished with my head, yet.”

“‘Engineered’?” Rouge was confused, but intrigued. “What do you mean?”

“I…” Shadow paused. It was occurring to him just how many gaps he had in his memory. “I don’t remember.”

Not wanting to make Shadow think too hard, Rouge decided to change the subject. “Feel free to spend some time with Topaz. I did some research about concussions, and spending time with quiet animals was one of the recommended activities.”  
She stood up, grinning. “I’m sure you two want to be left alone, so I’ll go make some breakfast.”

As Rouge headed for the kitchen, Shadow stared once more at the cat that had claimed his chest. He reached with a hesitant hand, and began to stroke Topaz’s head. She purred loudly at his touch, nuzzling against his hand. Shadow’s stone cold heart melted just a tiny bit.

* * *

_Roger and Shadow ran for their lives. They hadn’t been able to beat the storm, like they’d been hoping. They didn’t stop until they came upon a cave._

_“Hurry, inside!” Roger urged._

_Shadow followed Roger into the cave, both boys soaked to the bone and shivering._

_“I’ll get a towel,” Roger said._

_As he did so, Shadow noticed that the cave was filled with various things, including books, a table, a chair, coloring books, and snacks._

_Roger grabbed two towels. He handed one to Shadow. As they both dried themselves off, Shadow asked a question._

_“Do you live here?”_

_“Nah,” Roger replied. “This is my secret hideout!”_

_“Where do you live, then?”_

_“Nowhere. I’m a…” Roger paused to think of the right word. “...a ‘nomad’.”_

_“So you don’t have a home? Do you live with anyone?”_

_“Nope. I’m kind of a hermit, I guess. I like being alone.”_

_Shadow thought Roger said that a little too quickly, but decided not to comment on it._

_“So...I’m guessing you don’t have a home, either,” Roger realized._  
_He paused for a moment. “...you can live with me, if you want.”_

_“Really?” Shadow was surprised. “But I thought you said you liked being alone.”_

_“Yeah, but...I don’t wanna leave you to fend for yourself. Besides, you’ll be safer if you stick with me.”_

_“Safer? From what?”_

_Roger frowned. “There are some really dangerous people around here. If you get too close to their territory, they’ll beat you up.”_

_“Did...did someone beat you up?” Shadow asked quietly._

_“Yeah, once." Roger puffed out his chest. “I got away, though; I was too fast for them!”_  
_He rubbed his arm, as if still feeling the bruises that had once been there. “But I’m not gonna let them do that to you.”_

_“Well...I guess I don’t really have anywhere else to go.” Shadow smiled. “Okay, I’ll stay with you.”_

_Roger’s eyes lit up. “Really?”_  
_He coughed. “I mean, uh, cool.”_

 _He looked outside, seeing how bad the storm was. “Well, since we’re gonna here a while, why don’t you do some coloring or reading?”_  
_He pulled out his chair. “You can sit here!”_

_“But where will you sit?” Shadow asked._

_“On the ground,” Roger responded. “I’ve got a blanket I can sit on; I’ll be fine.”_

_Shadow sat down in the chair, and scooted closer to the table. He grabbed a random book and look at it curiously. “_ Ciar and the Black Knight _?”_

_“Oh, that’s a good one,” Roger said, face already buried in a coloring book. “It’s about an evil prince who’s rescued by a thief, who he ends up falling in love with. Not really a fan of the romance part, but it’s got a lot of cool action scenes. Oh, and there’s this knight who’s trying to get rid of the prince, but it turns out that he’s--well, I won’t spoil any more of it for you.”_

_Shadow gazed at the cover for a minute. Figuring that he had nothing better to do, he opened the book and began to read._

_After a while, he spoke again. “So...how long have you been out here on your own?”_

_“Oh, uh...I’ve always been a loner. Always will be. I’m independent; I don’t need anyone’s help!”_

_Shadow raised a brow, unconvinced. However, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to get Roger to talk, so he went back to reading his book._

* * *

Aya paced the jail cell; partly because she felt restless, and partly because there was a lot on her mind.

“You okay, honey?” Margaux asked, concerned.

“I’m fine. I just...I don’t get it. The person who hired us--his plan makes no sense.”

“Maybe it’s just because he never gave us all the details,” Ed pointed out.

“Perhaps.” Aya’s brows knitted. “But still. It seems…”

“Unnecessarily convoluted?” Dodger finished.

Aya snorted. “More like ‘completely nonsensical’.”

Dodger leaned back against the wall. “We did what we were hired to do. Our job is finished, and what else he does is no longer our concern.”

“I know,” Aya sat down next to Margaux, leaning against her shoulder. “But it still bothers me.”

“I agree with Aya,” Ed replied. “It _is_ really weird. I mean, first he wants us to kill that Shadow dude, and gets mad at us when we screw it up. Then right before we go to finish the job, he shows up at the last second, and is all like ‘Oh hey, change of plans; now I want you to lose on purpose!’ So we do that, and then he shows up _again_ , and _now_ he wants to know how we beat Shadow before? His plan’s about as consistent as the English language!”

“You’re right,” Margaux agreed. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but I noticed that something was _really_ off about him the last couple times we saw him.”

Ed tilted his head. “What do you mean? He acted like he always does: angry and mysterious.”

“It appeared that way on the surface. But his body language suggested that he was on edge.” Margaux rested her chin in her palm. “I think there’s more going on than we know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Dodger, it's not any more "unnecessarily convoluted" than this story is getting! :) *buries face in hands and screams* ~~My attempts to fill in some of the plot holes/my new ideas are probably going to create even more holes...oh well, I'm honestly beyond caring at this point.~~
> 
> Ciar was originally going to be named Kage (the Japanese word for "shadow"), but I figured the foreshadowing in that part was already about as subtle as a herd of buffalo crashing a school dance.
> 
> And yes, Topaz is named after the Sonic X character. Also, her design is based on a stray cat that I frequently encounter outside.
> 
> Oh, and, I've decided that Aya and Margaux are a couple, and Dodger and Ed are adoptive brothers.
> 
> The last thing I want to say is that, in case that last scene didn't clarify things enough: Aya and her squad were pretending to be incompetent in Chapter 3. That's my new explanation for why they almost killed Shadow, but were easily defeated by Sonic and Rouge. (If the fight had been real, Sonic and Rouge would have been toast.) So, why did that happen? You'll find out eventually. Maybe. I hope...


End file.
